Indian Style Whole Roasted Salmon Cooked in an Earthenware Pot

Secrets From My Indian Family Kitchen by Anjali Pathak is a superb book for anyone who loves spicy Indian food.

The author Anjali Pathak says: ‘This is is my take on an ancient Indian recipe of stuffing a whole fish with spices, sealing it in an earthenware pot, burying it in the ground and covering it with natural heat fermenters. I’m using an oven to replicate the heat and I’ve chosen to use a whole salmon, but you can easily use individual fillets if you like. This will soon become one of your show-stopper recipes that will wow all your guests.”

Serves 4–6
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 whole skin-on salmon, about 1kg (2 lb 4oz), cleaned, boned and head removed
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
1 tbsp peeled and finely chopped
fresh root ginger
1–2 red chillies, sliced
2 tbsp natural yogurt
2 tsp black mustard seeds 1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp clear honey
good pinch of salt
200 g (7oz) crunchy vegetables – I like celeriac, leeks and carrots – all julienned
20 fresh curry leaves (optional)
1 tbsp desiccated coconut, toasted (optional)
1 tbsp roughly chopped chives 1 tbsp roughly chopped dill
2 limes, cut into quarters

METHOD
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. In the meantime, make deep cuts through the skin of the salmon.
2 Make the marinade for the fish by bashing together the garlic, ginger and most of the chilli slices with a pestle and mortar. Mix in the yogurt, mustard seeds, turmeric, honey and a good pinch of salt. Rub the marinade all over the salmon, inside and out.
3 Stuff the salmon with the julienned vegetables and sprinkle in the curry leaves (if using), coconut, chives and dill. Line a large roasting tray with foil and lay the fish on top. Toss in the lime quarters and roast in the oven for 40 minutes. (If using individual fillets, roast for half the time.)
4 Carve the fish at the table and serve with Cucumber Raita made with mint (see page 166) and Cumin Roast Potatoes (see page 146).